Implications of fear as a public health issue

This presentation reviews how the use of fear has significantly impacted the effectiveness of public health interventions nationally and internationally, especially among bordering nations.

The possible political and professional consequences of using fear to drive public health initiatives, both nationally and internationally, will be addressed.

An ecological and grounded theoretical approach, using constant comparisons, offers a challenging call for improved collaborative efforts among public health researchers, health care professionals, and human rights organizations, with special emphasis on retrospective, in-depth interviews and population-based surveys.

This presentation explores both short-term and long-term implications of how the use of fear has become a public health issue through cases studies. It will describe the need for public health research, the importance of collaboration and partnerships, the implications of taking no action on future health initiatives, the impact of changes in the future health care workforce, and outline future research scenarios.